ABOUT LUNA

Luna Children’s Charity is a child-centred charity that trains and supports local people working with children and young people traumatised by conflict, violence and disaster.

We train and support skilled and experienced child mental health and education practitioners to lead our work. They in turn train local mental health professionals and others working closely with child victims of trauma, together with their families and communities, to relieve the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

We use a child-centred therapeutic protocol, Children’s Accelerated Trauma Technique (CATT), which empowers local communities with a new and effective individual approach to the treatment of psychological trauma in children suffering from some of the worst effects of violence. Luna’s model not only enables local people to use CATT, but provides those who have gained a high level of experience with the skills to train others. This generates growth in the skills and knowledge needed to manage and treat PTSD, and ensures the sustainability of our work. Because CATT may be used by people who are not mental health practitioners, Luna’s model is able to address the suffering of children in parts of the world where mental health services are non-existent or under-resourced.

WANT TO HELP?

Please support us by fundraising or donating via MyDonate! Click here to find out more.

Are you a mental health or related childcare professional interested in finding out about volunteering for Luna? Click here to find out more.

NEED OUR HELP?

If you are working with children in an area affected by conflict or violence, or leading an organisation that could host CATT training outside the UK, please get in touch and tell us more, here.

Alternatively, if you are part of an organization which could benefit from knowing more about psychological trauma and its impact on children, we can also offer wider training and support.

ABOUT PTSD

PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as natural disasters, terrorism, military combat, or physical or sexual assault. Those who suffer from PTSD often relive their experiences through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, develop symptoms of avoidance, and experience increased emotional arousal, meaning they feel constantly alert or scared. These symptoms are often severe enough to significantly impair the person’s ability to function on a day-to-day basis. For children this can include such basic activities as interacting with others, or attending school.

ABOUT CATT

Children’s Accelerated Trauma Technique (CATT) is a one-to-one, child-centered treatment for the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that was developed by Luna’s founder, Dr Carlotta Raby, in partnership with children themselves. CATT utilises play and art therapy techniques with evidence-based trauma theory and children’s rights principles, to help children and young people of all ages reduce PTSD symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety. CATT is a unique approach in having been developed specifically for children, with children.

More on CATT ›

“The first time I used CATT, the six-year-old client went from being distressed even hearing words relating to her trauma to saying “it doesn’t bother me anymore”. I am really excited that there is a therapy that was designed for, and with, children instead of being adapted from an adult therapy. After learning several PTSD treatments, CATT is now my first choice therapy! What I like is that there is sound theory and research behind why the elements of CATT are necessary and used when treating children”.

-Robin Bennett, UK Clinical Psychologist and Luna Therapist

Training is delivered at 3 levels:

Level 1 provides an understanding of how the brain responds to psychological trauma, the nature and symptoms of PTSD, and how to access specialist help. For non-mental health professionals this level offers a route to becoming a CATT practitioner (level 2).

Level 2 teaches the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required to deliver the CATT protocol, enabling the use of CATT in everyday practice by mental health professionals and other appropriately qualified front-line staff offering support to children and young people with PTSD.

Level 3 provides CATT practitioners with a high level of experience in using CATT with the opportunity to share their practice with others across cultural boundaries, learn more about complex trauma and how to train others to deliver the protocol, in partnership with Luna.

The CATT protocol

The CATT protocol is a memory-based, child-centred approach, which uses integrative arts techniques to help children process and re-script their traumatic memories. The combination of evidence-based trauma theory and the children’s rights principles underpinning CATT ensure that the approach is effective as well as age-appropriate and comfortable for the child.

CATT has been used successfully with children from age 3 to adult, does not rely heavily on the linguistic and/or cognitive ability of the child, and continues to be relevant and effective in a cross-cultural context.

SUSTAINABILITY

Our model provides the communities we work in with a sustainable way of addressing the suffering of children created by psychological trauma. Level 3 training of experienced CATT practitioners is essential to achieve this, as it equips our practitioners with the skills to train others to support and treat children with PTSD. We have been working in Uganda for the past three years and this letter from the directors of the Butabika-East London Link shows what has been achieved. In January 2016 we undertook a research project to quantify and assess the social impact of our sustainable model. You can read more in our research section...

Luna Children's Charity

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Luna Children's Charity

(Reg. Charity No. 1172010)

was formed in December 2008 and became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in April 2017.